Howry's 769-appearance career (all in relief) was bookended by stints with the Chicago ballclubs. He broke in with the White Sox in 1998 and spent four-plus years there, then moving onto the Red Sox, Indians, Cubs, Giants and Diamondbacks before returning last year to the North Siders, with whom he made his final Major League appearance before being cut loose on July 30.

Howry was drafted out of McNeese State University by the Giants in the fifth round 1994. He was involved in two trades, one in which Keith Foulke, Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin and Roberto Hernandez were the moving parts, and another including Frank Francisco.

For his career, Howry finished up with a very solid 3.84 ERA and ratios of 7.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.

In 20.2 innings for the Cubs, Howry posted a 5.66 ERA with 3.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9, allowing 29 hits. Despite his history of success with the Cubs, he was no longer worth a roster spot.

• Mets manager Jerry Manuel insists that Oliver Perez's knee tendinitis is legitimate, writes Andy Martino of the Daily News.  The timing of Perez's trip to the DL is being investigated by MLB in light of its curious timing.
• In her latest mailbag, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com writes that the Cubs brought back Bob Howry with the hope that he can help in specific situations with the help of Larry Rothschild.  The Cubbies signed the reliever to a major league deal in mid-May.
• Former Brewers farmhand Brent Brewer will choose football over baseball after all, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  The 2008 second-round selection quit baseball last month and will now play on scholarship at the University of Tennessee.

MLBTR reported the signing after Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reported that the Cubs were interested in signing Howry and that the sides were close to a deal. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Cubs expected Howry to join the team today. MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reported the details of the roster moves (via Twitter).

Cubs GM Jim Hendry had said that Cubs were on the lookout for right-handed relief, and he had many options to consider. The trade market has yet to fully develop, so Hendry went back to Howry, a reliever whose work he knows well. Howry posted a 3.90 ERA in 228.2 innings with the Cubs from 2006-08. Back then, Howry was much more effective than he was in Arizona this year. Still, his career numbers, especially those against right-handers (6.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9), suggest he's capable of better things.

Rivera, 32, has a 0.53 ERA, 5.8 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 17 Triple A innings so far this year.  He's got similar peripherals over 275.6 career big league innings, leading to a 4.05 ERA.  Rivera was released by the Nationals in December (on his birthday) to make room for Brian Bruney.  He later signed a minor league deal with the Indians.

Howry, 36, was signed by the D'Backs to a one-year, $2.25MM deal in December.  In 14.3 innings this year, he sports a matching 3.8 in terms of home runs, walks, and strikeouts per nine innings.  That's not an effective formula.  Arizona's bullpen has a 7.68 ERA in 104.3 innings, so changes were necessary.  Aside from Aaron Heilman, everyone has struggled.

Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic spoke to Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes about the Snakes' relief woes.  Going into Friday's play, Arizona's staff ERA from the seventh inning on stood at an NL-worst 5.71 in such situations, and right-hander Esmerling Vasquez is the only D'Backs reliever with an ERA under 4.63.  Most of the attention has focused on closer Chad Qualls, who has blown two saves already and has a 7.36 ERA in 13 appearances.

Byrnes said changes could be made if things become dire, be it calling up "guys in the minors; [or] maybe we make a trade."  But Byrnes also preached patience, noting that "it's hard to stay the course with it, but sometimes that's the best thing to do."

Byrnes told Piecoro that "as far as major trade or a major expenditure [for a reliever], [it's] probably something we want to be very careful about."  Piecoro notes that the club considered acquiring the likes of Matt Capps, Rafael Soriano and former D'Backs closer Jose Valverde over the winter, but the price for Soriano and Valverde was judged to be too high, while Capps would only sign if he was guaranteed the closer's job.  The Diamondbacks instead picked up Bob Howry and Aaron Heilman, which MLBTR's Tim Dierkes was "not enthused" about, and chose to keep Qualls as the closer after his solid 2009 season (24 saves and a 3.65 ERA in 51 appearances).  These moves look ripe for second-guessing at the moment given that Qualls, Howry and Heilman have all tough starts while Capps, Soriano and Valverde have pitched extremely well.

Arizona has a 14-15 record but is just four games behind the division-leading Giants.  Given that a hot two weeks can put a club on top of the tightly-stacked NL West, Byrnes might be forced to roll the dice on another reliever should his club still have a shot at first place come the summer.  D'Backs fans demanding that the Snakes blow up their bullpen and bring in reinforcements, however, should be careful what they wish for.  The team's last midseason deal for a reliever saw them pick up Jon Rauch in July 2008 and he subsequently put up a 6.56 ERA for Arizona that season.

• The Padres are one of several teams to request Noah Lowry's medical records, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock. In a tweet, Brock notes that the team isn't likely to bring Khalil Greene back, and instead will likely wait for an out-of-options player in Spring Training.
• Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News tweets that Rangers are "still pushing" on Jermaine Dye, and team officials met with him last week.
• Grant at McCovey Chronicles ranks the ten biggest "future free agent mistakes" for Giants' fans.
• Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel mentions that Brewers' GM Doug Melvin and his staff are traveling to Phoenix next week to meet with Mark Mulder and decide if it makes sense to offer him a minor league deal with incentives. Haudricourt previously said we should "expect a signing," and earlier this week we learned that Milwaukee may not have enough payroll room left to add another starter.
• MLB.com's Brian McTaggart looks at the Astros' rotation now that Brett Myers is on board. 
• Meanwhile, Alyson Footer of MLB.com tweets that Houston officially announced their deal with Josh Banks, and has renewed the contracts of pre-arbitration eligible players J.R. Towles and Chris Johnson.
• Steve Gilbert of MLB.com has some more details on Bobby Howry's contract with Arizona. Howry can void the $3MM club option for 2011 if he's traded during the upcoming season.
• Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski said his team "did not really pursue" Scott Podsednik, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Scotty Pods had been connected to Detroit earlier this offseason.

Howry, 36, posted a 3.39 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 in 63.6 innings for the Giants in 2009.  We first heard the D'Backs were interested in the Arizona native a few weeks back after LaTroy Hawkins was scooped up by the Brewers.  Howry is the D'Backs' second bullpen addition of the winter, as they acquired Aaron Heilman from the Cubs in November.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

• Don't count on Erik Bedard signing anytime soon, says Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  Until teams get a better handle on when he will be healthy enough to pitch again, you won't see money being thrown his way.  When he does sign, Baker expects his deal to be heavily loaded with incentives – even more so than the contract given to Rich Harden by the Rangers.
• With Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero recovering from elbow surgeries, the Phillies are turning their attention to the bullpen, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  While common sense dictates that GM Ruben Amaro would sign two relievers to fill the void, he says that the team might just ink one and let their younger pitchers take the remaining jobs.  Zolecki floats the names of three potential free agent targets: Bob Howry, Miguel Batista, and Kiko Calero, adding that the club has liked Howry and Batista in the past.
• The Cubs are in need of a center fielder after the trade of Milton Bradley, but they are not leaning towards any particular candidate, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  According to sources, Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik are the strongest options on the open market.  However, the duo writes that GM Jim Hendry may also look into striking a deal with the Yankees for Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera if they become available.
• Speaking of Bradley, Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports says that the Mariners will come to regret dealing for the troubled outfielder. 

Putz will reportedly throw for teams tomorrow; he's got the White Sox, Cubs, Nationals, Pirates, and Tigers as other known suitors.  We haven't heard much on Howry and Donnelly yet.  I think Donnelly is a possible sleeper, as outlined in this October discussion post.

The Diamondbacks can certainly expand their search beyond those three righty relievers - we outlined the free agent market here and trade market here.

• The Rangers are talking to Jason Kendall, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The Royals have made the veteran backstop a two-year offer.
• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Brandon Lyon is asking for $9MM over two years. Speaking of Lyon, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says the Phillies are pursuing him and Fernando Rodney with equal interest.
• MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Blue Jays expressed interest in Craig Stammen. However, the Nats aren't likely to trade him.
• Yahoo's Steve Henson hears that the Yankees will be strong players for Matt Holliday.
• The Brewers still have interest in Craig Counsell, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the two sides met and continue to talk. He expects them to reach a deal.
• The Indians have no money to spend, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
• Ruddy Lugo signed a minor league deal with the Tigers, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com.
• Arangure's colleague, Jayson Stark, has a similar update. The Dodgers could soon sign Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal.
• Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't consider Aroldis Chapman an option for the team's rotation next year, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. They'll still watch him throw in Houston, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
• The Red Sox will be there too, according to Gordon Edes of ESPN.
• MLB.com's Corey Brock reports that the Padres are considering some options in the Rule 5 draft.
• ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Royals inquired on Brett Gardner after the Yankees acquired Curtis Granderson.  
• The Phillies asked Cliff Lee's agent to fly to Indianapolis this week to discuss an extension, according to Scott Lauber of the Journal News.
• You can expect the D'Backs to pursue Bob Howry, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.

• GM Brian Sabean said "nobody thinks [Buster Posey] is ready to catch 100-plus games in the big leagues," however they haven't made any "money offers" to any free agent catchers. He acknowledged that a multi-year deal for a backstop "wouldn't be wise."
• As for why they didn't offer Type-A free agent Bengie Molina arbitration, Sabean said the team didn't "need another arbitration case," and that they "have multiple needs and we want to spread the money throughout the roster."
• Sabean indicated that the team isn't comfortable paying Brad Penny or Juan Uribe what they want, and neither is likely to return. Both players declined one year deals last week.
• Shea says that if Penny leaves, the team probably won't move Jonathan Sanchez in a trade, while Baggarly says there is "less resistance to the idea of Madison Bumgarner beginning the season in the rotation."
• The team has informed reliever Bob Howry that they would like to bring him back, but they have not yet talked about money.
• The Giants will not forfeit a draft pick to sign a player, which rules out the Type-A's. They hold the 24th overall pick in next year's draft. However, Sabean said that Type-A's who weren't offered arbitration were "more sensible targets."

• Welcome to Twitter: ESPN's Buster Olney.
• ESPN's Keith Law assesses the Mark Teahen, J.J. Hardy, Jeremy Hermida, and Akinori Iwamura trades.
• The Royals are committed to Alex Gordon as their third baseman despite acquiring Josh Fields, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Fields instead could play left field in the event David DeJesus is traded.  DeJesus' name popped up in our left field trade market post.
• Rosenthal and Morosi also note that the Giants are talking with Juan Uribe about a new contract.  Uribe was one of the year's best minor league deals.  He's represented by Barry Praver. 
• Rosenthal reported yesterday that the Nationals hired Bryan Minnitti from the Pirates to be their new assistant GM.  Jake from New Bucs interviewed the young exec last year.
• Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic names four relievers who might be of interest to the Diamondbacks: Rafael Betancourt, Mike Gonzalez, LaTroy Hawkins, and Bob Howry.
• Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues has a reality check for fans as we head toward the offseason insanity.
• Victor Martinez's agent Alan Nero told WEEI's Rob Bradford there's been "little or no dialogue" in terms of the Red Sox extending his client.
• Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if the Yankees' championship might enable them to take things more slowly this winter.
• Sherman tweets that there is interest in Japan from Kei Igawa, but he doesn't want to go.  Igawa posted a 4.15 ERA in 145.3 Triple A innings this year, and still has $8MM remaining on his contract.
• Baseball America's Matt Eddy has your minor league transactions.  Wilson Valdez and Mike Gosling are among those joining the free agent ranks.
• New Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos seems passionate, talking to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.  Anthopoulos even gives props to the fine Jays blogs out there.
• Padres pitcher Chris Young told Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he understands the business aspect of baseball.  With a healthy first half, Young could be a trade candidate.
• Grant at McCovey Chronicles says AT&T Park isn't a pitcher's park anymore, and agents know that.

• The Giants won't likely offer Molina much more than the $6MM he made this year.
• Molina wants a two-year deal, so Baggarly says the 35-year-old is unlikely to re-sign with the Giants.
• The Mets could have interest, and Baggarly says an unnamed AL team expects to get involved, too.
• Baggarly expects the Giants to offer Molina arbitration, but would be surprised to see the team extend similar offers to Bob Howry, Randy Johnson or Randy Winn.
• The Giants have tried to acquire Ivan Rodriguez before, so they could bring him in to mentor Buster Posey and provide the club with insurance in case the top prospect struggles.
• The Giants believe Matt Holliday's defense regressed a shocking amount last year.
• Jason Bay seems like a better fit for the Giants.